Canada’s Trudeau apologizes for ‘mistake’ amid charity rampage

OTTAWA (Reuters) – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized Monday for participating in a cabinet decision to use a charity with which he and his family have worked to administer a $ 900 million student grant program ( $ 663.4 million).

Trudeau, 48, faces a third conflict of interest investigation in just over three years after his government turned to WE Charity Canada on June 25 to administer the program. The organization withdrew approximately a week after the contract was announced.

“I made a mistake not to immediately recuse myself from the discussions, given our family’s history, and I sincerely regret not having done so,” Trudeau said at a news conference.

It is the second time in less than a year that the Prime Minister has publicly apologized for his actions at a live, nationally televised press conference. The first time was in September, after black-faced images of him emerged for decades.

“I was well aware that my family members had worked and contributed to the WE organization, but was not aware of the details of their compensation,” said Trudeau.

WE Charity revealed last week that between 2016 and 2020 she paid Trudeau’s mother, Margaret, in the amount of C $ 250,000 for speaking at some 28 events, while her brother, Alexandre, received around C $ 32,000.

Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, have regularly participated in WE Charity events, and Gregoire Trudeau presents a podcast on the charity’s website for which he is not paid.

Also on Monday, Finance Minister Bill Morneau, whose daughter works at WE Charity, offered a similar apology. “I will recuse myself from any future discussions related to WE,” Morneau said.

Aimed at helping students struggling to find summer jobs during the COVID-19 pandemic, the grant program has been hampered by controversy, and the government is now looking for a different way to administer it.

($ 1 = 1.3566 Canadian dollars)